Wisps
by accioswiftgames
Summary: An old Tessa recollects some of the most important memories of her life, of how she fell in love with her best friend Will, of how they ended up married. A modern AU one-shot with a little something different at the end. DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE INFERNAL DEVICES OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS


**So this is a short one-shot of Wessa. I needed a break from my other TID fanfic -The New Intern-, and I thought writing a one-shot of them would be a nice way of doing that and also a good way to practice my writing. **

**I got this prompt from imagineyourotp on tumblr, and I just _had_ to write it because it was so interesting. I hope you like it!**

* * *

Tessa sat on the swinging bench on the porch, enjoying the warm air that was rare in the London suburbs.

She sat with only her thoughts, the gentle rocking of the bench calming her mind and tuning out the world. Tessa began recollecting wisps of the most important memories of her life.

She had been best friends with Will for practically all her life. They had loved the same books and had had debates about them. She had known the exact shade of blue of his eyes and he had known her absolute favorite book. She had known his favorite dessert and he had known her preferred coffee. But the thing was, Tessa had been in love with him from the moment she learned what love was.

* * *

_"Love is... when you would do anything for a person, even giving up anything and everything you have," Tessa's mom told her with soft eyes._

_"Then... Then that means I love Will. Because I would do anything and everything for him," five-year-old Tessa stated. Her mother laughed, her bright eyes crinkling._

* * *

True, it was only the love of a best friend, but as Tessa grew up, she had realized that it had always been much more than that. But a boy like Will -popular, attractive, witty- would never have fallen for a girl like Tessa -shy, average-looking, mundane-, so she had kept quiet.

Flash forward to a charming 22-year-old Will and a 21-year-old Tessa, laughing in a car. A mainstream song on the radio, off-tune singing, and squealing laughter.

* * *

_"Admit it, Tess. I'm a much better singer than you," Will said with a smirk._

_"In your dreams, Herondale. We both know I'm the one who will be a pop star one day," she replied teasingly._

_Will glanced over at her constantly, a genuine smile spreading across his lips. Tessa, feeling his repeated stares on her, looked over at him. But what caught her eyes was the bright white light past him. And time began to stretch out like a rubber band._

_"Will!" Tessa shrieked._

_Will whipped his head to the side, to the blinding white that now filled every crevice around them._

_He wrapped his arms around her upper torso, blocking her view, just as she felt a huge jolt and a deafening crash. Tessa was thrown towards the passenger door. Her limbs were crushed in the deformed car. And then her head banged against the side of the car._

_The rubber band snapped. __Blackness was instant._

_When Tessa finally woke up, she was informed by her mother that she had a few broken bones and that she had been passed out for nearly a week now._

_"Will," she croaked out for the first time since the crash._

_Her mother smiled. "He's fine, Tessie."_

_She breathed out a sigh of relief. Her mother filled her in on all the details of the crash. They were at an intersection, a drunk driver crossed a red light, the car crashed into Tessa and Will._

* * *

However, after that crash, their friendship had taken an unexpected turn. Well, unexpected for Tessa. Everyone else around them had always known that it was going to happen.

* * *

_"I don't- I thought I was going to lose you, Tess. And I realized how many regrets I would have had," Will said, shaking his head. "So I'm going to start with this."_

_ He took a deep breath._

_"Tessa Gray, I have been catastrophically in love with you for as long as I can remember."_

* * *

Flash forward five years, and they had gotten married.

* * *

"Tess," a croaky voice called out from inside the house. She heard the door open. An old Will stepped out with the most grievous expression she had ever seen him wear.

"Will, dear, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Tess. I'm sorry. But you have to wake up now," he said slowly, his voice breaking.

"What are you talking about? I'm right here, I'm awake," Tessa replied, panic rising in her. What was going on?

"I tried calling the kids to say goodbye, but they won't be able to come on time. I'm sorry, Tess."

"Will, you're scaring me. I'm not going anywhere, honey."

Will just nodded with tears in his eyes. "I don't want you to go. You won't be happy."

Tessa got off the swinging bench and hugged Will tightly. Her panic was swelling steadily, like a wave coming closer to the shore, and t was threatening to crash soon.

"I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere, Will. I'm not going anywhere."

Will pulled away slightly and looked at her. After all those years, his eyes were still the exact same shade of dark blue.

But now, they were darker than ever, almost black, and they shone with tears.

"Yes. Yes you are. I love you, Tess. But you're going. You are."

Her wave of panic had risen well above 2 meters now, and it would fall further.

Will inched closely and kissed her with as much force as he could muster at this age. When they broke away, he leaned his forehead on Tessa's forehead.

"I love you. Remember that. I love you."

Tessa opened her mouth to reply, but her vision began to blur. She felt her legs becoming weaker and gripped Will's arms or support.

"Will?" she whispered.

He held on to her and slowly lowered her to the ground. They sat there, holding on to each other for dear life.

Tessa's vision began blackening around the edges, and the wave came crashing down.

* * *

Tessa's eyes fluttered open. There were bright fluorescent lights on the ceiling. The room was mostly white. She looked to her side and saw a familiar figure. He was sleeping on a chair, his silvery hair covering his face.

"Jem?" she croaked out. Her throat felt horrible, like she hadn't drank or talked in ages.

Where was Will? He must have brought her to the hospital when she blacked out. But what was he talking about? Going away? How had he known?

"Tessa? You're awake? You're awake! Thank God, you're finally awake."

It was Jem's voice, as familiar to her as her own, but it wasn't the one she remembered. It was much too young.

She heard footsteps coming towards her, but once she saw Jem's face, she couldn't help but gasp.

"Jem... Jem, you're young again."

His face was exactly the way it was when he was just in his twenties.

He gave a sweet smile. "It's alright, Tessa. You're disoriented right now. I'll keep you up to date soon, but I've got to call the nurse first."

Tessa nodded. The nurse came in soon after with a clipboard and a smile.

"Hello, Ms. Gray. Glad to see you awake again. You've been out for quite a while now."

Jem was next to her again, by her bed, as the nurse did some check-ups. He offered her a cup of water.

Tessa noticed the startlingly dark eyebags on his pale skin. He look tired and drained.

"Are you okay, Jem?"

Her voice surprised her. It was high-pitched and clear.

Jem smiled. "I should be the one asking you that," he said, before his face darkened. "Tessa, you've been in a coma for a month now."

Tessa's eyes widened. "What? A month?"

She flinched slightly. What was wrong with her voice?

Jem took Tessa's hand in hers, and she looked at down at it.

Tessa gasped and pulled her hand out of Jem's grip. She studied it, and once again, she began to panic.

"Tessa? Is everything okay?"

Her hand was soft and smooth, wrinkle-free and fleshy.

"Am I- Am I young again, too?"

Jem looked at her worriedly. "What are you talking about? Tessa, do you know why you're in the hospital?"

"I was at home with Will, and then I began blacking out," Tessa recounted, but the memory was now blurred over, and it had a surreal quality to it.

Jem's expression had darkened further, his mouth a thin line and his eyes shining.

"Tessa, you were in a car crash with Will."

Tessa looked at him funnily. "What? No, that car crash happened like, 40 years ago?"

"It was only a month ago," Jem replied, his voice heavy and sad.

"But... how? What about everything that happened?" Tessa asked, her voice breaking as she realized what he was suggesting.

"I think- I think you were dreaming." She began shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Tessa."

Her previous panic and confusion were now replaced by a grief that suffocated her.

"No. No, but my whole life... Will and I..."

"What happened in your dream?"

"After the crash... Will and I began dating. We got married. Had kids. Grew old together," Tessa told him ruefully, tears spilling over.

Jem took a sharp intake of breath. "Tessa-"

"I'll ask him after this. Maybe he feels the same way in real life. Maybe we can rebuild that same life," she said, beginning to gain hope again. She directed her attention to Jem. "Where's Will?"

Jem just shook his head, his eyes beginning to shine again.

"Oh. Is he also in a coma?"

Jem took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling.

"Will's dead," he said quickly.

Tessa just stared at him. "What?"

"He died almost instantly during the car crash, Tessa. When the ambulance got there, the driver's side of the car was completely crushed. But he died protecting you. He was found draped across you, so he took in most of the impact, because the car came from his side. I'm sorry, Tessa."

She was still trying to wrap her head around the idea, but it was just impossible.

"No, no. No, he can't be dead. He _can't_."

"Tessa-"

"HE'S NOT DEAD!" she shrieked. Tessa tried to get up, but she was too weak.

"Please, Tessa. You'll hurt yourself. I can't lose you too," Jem said quietly. That stopped Tessa. She laid back down and began to shake her head once more, as if it would also shake away the fact that Will was dead.

"He's not dead, he's not dead," she whispered. But even as she said it, she realized it wouldn't change anything.

Will was gone, and he would never know how she really felt about him. All she had now were the memories from her dream, which was now quickly slipping away. She tried to hold on to the wisps of memories, but as she reached for them, they rolled off her fingers like mist, leaving her bare hands with nothing but emptiness.

* * *

**So. That might have taken an unexpected turn. (MUAHAHAHAH)**

**I'm sorry, but it was just too interesting not to write. I hope you liked it though! **

**(And to those who read my other fanfic, I promise, I am in the middle of writing the next chapter.)**

**All reviews and criticism are accepted, and follows/favorites are also awesome. Thank you! :)**


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